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Xander Mercury
"An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming. First aim for the targets you can hit - then aim higher!" "I don't look back anymore. I don't regret. I look forward. Everything is connected, and I'll use that to expose, to protect, and if necessary -- to punish." Alexander William "Xander" Mercury is the masked marksman vigilante set out to fight injustice in Empire City. In his youth, Xander's mother took him away from his father and left him back in Belfast, his place of birth, because she only wanted peace for them, and his father was always fighting for something, and he would, too. Xander soon became a masked crimefighter, and developed a remarkable aptitude for archery. His talents were soon recognized by the Agency, who recruited him, and he worked his way up to become a Specialist. However, after years of service, Xander eventually returned to Empire City, as he felt his soul call to action. He felt an indication something was wrong, and the only way to rid his heart of it was to correct his mistakes and keep going until amends are made. He felt guilt, because his work was not yet finished. Before he left the Agency, he recruited a young Duncan Grey to be his ward, and train him in the way of the bow. Together, they sparked a new dawn of justice in Empire City. Biography Early Life Alexander William Mercury was born in Belfast, Ireland. In his neighborhood, you stood up or you got beat down, so he stood up. He ran with an ugly crowd, learned how to fight and shoot, and he paid for it, too. He took the hits so his family wouldn't have to. His mother always told him they escaped his father when they left him back in Belfast, because she only wanted peace for them, and his father was always fighting for something. His mother saw that fire in him, too, and said her sweet little boy was gone; he'd turned into his father. That should have stung, but it didn't, he was proud to hear it. Xander has never been a huge fan of the dark. An overactive imagination like his turned his childhood bedroom into a breeding ground for monsters and unspeakable horrors the moment the lights snapped off. As an adult, he made his peace with the darkness because it can be an extremely effective ally in the field. When he was a kid, the bully down the street used to burn ants using a magnifying glass. That was never Xander's thing, and instead read a lot of books. His mother took him to his first basketball game when he was seven years old, but they left before it ended; that was by design, another one of her lessons. His mom wanted Xander to see that it didn't matter who won or lost, it was how you played the game. Only, his mom was wrong about that, because Xander doesn't like to lose. His mother also taught him a thing or two about cars. Xander eventually became part of a criminal gang. He personally paid to learn about combat, how to use firearms, and was even taught evasive driving skills at an abandoned drive-in movie lot. Training About ten years ago, Xander started using a bow. The arrows, he carried in a quiver on his back. Surprisingly, the quiver turned out to be useless when it came to moving fast. Xander read that modern archers do not move. They stand still, firing at a target board, something that was unknown in the past. These archers also started placing the arrow on the left side of the bow, just as archers did in movies. Xander knew this was due to the fact that aiming at a stationary two-dimensional target makes him aim with one eye, instead of two. From studying old pictures of archers, Xander discovered that some historical archers held their arrows one the right side of the bow. This meant that the arrow could be drawn and fired in one single motion, which was both faster and better. Xander realized that what people tought was historical archery only worked well for a modern target archer in Hollywood films. If he wanted to learn to shoot like the master archers of old, he had to unlearn what he had learned, and started reading historical manuscripts instead. He found his way back to a time when archery was simpler and more natural, exactly like throwing a ball; in essence, making archery as simple as possible. It was harder to learn how to shoot this way, but it gave more options. Xander must have had total control over his bow in all situations. He was able to handle his bow and arrows in a controlled way, under the most varied of circumstances. The old manuscripts told Xander that master archers could shoot the bow with both hands, and still hit the target, so he began practicing. It also described that an archer in motion must be able to hit a blade so that the arrow splits in two parts. Xander could also pick up enemy arrows and shoot them back, or grab arrows while on the move and fire them rapidly. Xander heard myths of archers who could grab an enemy's arrow and shoot it back at him; Xander took it a step further and is now able to catch an arrow while jumping and fire it before he hits the ground. Modern slow archery has led people to believe that war archers only shot at long distances. However, Xander found that they could shoot at any distance, even up close. This did require the ability to fire fast, though. Xander read that in the beginning, archers drew arrows from quivers or belts, but since then, they started holding the arrows in the bow hand, and later in the draw hand. Taking it to this third level, that of holding arrows in the draw hand, required immense practice and skill, and only professional archers, hunters and so on would have had the time for it. When guns started replacing bows, this technique was forgotten, and the only reason Xander is able to do it, is because he spent years practicing immensely. Xander figured out that the hard part is not learning how to hold the arrows, but learning how to handle them properly and draw in fire in one single motion, no matter what method is used; it works on all positions, and while in motion (it also works with sharp arrows and powerful bows). Xander knew there was no doubt that those war archers perhaps were stronger and more fit than he is, his arrows still penetrated chain mail armor, thought it is difficult to compare actual striking power. Old manuscripts told Xander that it was common to hold three arrows in the draw hand at once, while keeping more in a belt quiver. Xander knew that some archers held more, and in a way, was the ultimate weapon. From old texts, Xander knew that Saracen archers were expected to be able to fire three arrows in 1.5 seconds, and very skilled archers were even faster. Xander has managed to shoot 3 arrows in 0.6 seconds, but while speed is important, hitting the target is essential. Xander read that centuries ago, master archers were able to perform incredible feats with archery. Xander also read that these skills have been long since forgotten, but he tried to reinvent what has been lost. He used forgotten historical methods and held all his arrows in the same hand he shot with. Once, this technique was widespread, and Syrian artwork shows that the method is at least 5,000 years old. Xander read in Arab Archery, the most extensive historical book ever made about archery, states this is the best type of shooting and there is nothing beyond it in power or accuracy. Using this technique, Xander has set several speed shooting recods, and shot more than twice as fast as his closest competitors, and being able to shoot fast was just one of the benefits of the method. To test accuracy and speed at the same time, Xander set up experiments where he shot incoming arrows with arrows of his own, but he took it a step further; in the 1938 movie, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Robin Hood split an arrow down the middle. Some considered this the ultimate archery trick, but they were wrong. Xander's ultimate archery trick was splitting an arrow in two with one of his own. Vigilantism After high school, Xander decided to use his abilities to make Hell's Kitchen a better place as a vigilante. One day, Xander bought a black outfit online, and wore it when fighting crime. Xander performed several missions without the use of his future automated quiver, instead carrying his arrows, pre-assembled, as a bundle carried in a fabric sling on his back. The same night, Xander tracked down a group of gangsters led by the Butcher who were engaged in kidnapping and sex trafficking. They planned on transporting a group of young women in a shipping container, but Xander snuck up behind them and attacked, knocking down many of the guards and avoiding the Butcher as he attempted to shoot him. Xander quickly subdued the gangsters and freed the women before dodging out of the way of the Butcher's gunshot and beating him senseless. Pursuing the Russians TBA Agent Career Recruited While he was in college studying history and how the Agency shaped the times, he was recruited right away to the Agency, where he studied at the Agency Academy of Operations, eventually becoming a special agent and was taught by his supervising officer. He worked his way up and became a spec ops specialist, and his new abilities included rendition, infiltration, and isolation of enemy combatants. He also became an efficient interrogator, learning things such as a pain center being below the kneecap.. Xander learned that, when he approaches a new environment, he cases every inch of it. In Surveillance 101, he learned to assess his surroundings while blending in. Xander had become one of the most lethal combatants in the Agency. As a Specialist, Xander found great beauty in solitude; he could not replace the satisfaction of working alone, of listening to that voice in his head. Before becoming a team leader, Xander became a sniper, as the exquisite artistry of making a perfect shot from a mile out deeply intrigued him. For Xander, there was a delayed emotional reaction after killing a man. Like most combatants, he trained himself to go numb during the act and let muscle memory take over. Mission in Paris Agent Xander was dispatched to retrieve an before it fell into the hands of the Agency's enemies. Light resistance was encountered while infiltrating the location. The item retrieved was analyzed to be an alien neural link. Mission in Malta A kidnapped asset was tracked to a facility owned by a wealthy mining philanthropist. Agent Xander approached the target compound from the beach. After deactivation of a high-security laser fence, he moved in to assist the extraction of the scientist. Unfortunately, the scientist was killed while attempting to overload the gravity device to destroy it so that it could not be turned into a weapon. Return to Vigilantism Xander chased down four robbers in Empire City. He subdued the first one who was about to kill a police officer. The second one, he cornered and brutally beat in the kitchen of a restaurant; the third one, who was interrupted by a man who nearly drove him over and whose car he was about to steal, he knocked out and told the driver to call 9-1-1. The final one took a teenage girl hostage and held himself up in a church. Xander tracked him down and cornered him where, after a brief stand off, he managed to subdue the robber and secure the girl's safety as officers arrived. As he watched from above, more officers arrived to the scene. Xander smiled happily, having now fully immersed himself in his vigilante life. Training Duncan Grey "To use a bow and arrow requires patience and discipline." Xander eventually took a young Duncan Grey under his wing, and taught him patience and discipline through the art of archery. Duncan initially looked at archery as the least effective way to shoot people, but sooner learned to appreciate it. Xander taught Duncan to set his point and steady his anchor point. Xander told Duncan how he sees his target in the distance, feels the variation in the wind, hears the bowstring tighten, and lets go. In summary, he taught him to give in to his senses and not think. During this training, Xander had Duncan slap water out of a bowl, because that is how an archer builds arm strength. He also taught Duncan how to channel anger in a positive way. Taking on Dominic Galletti "Dominic Galletti runs the biggest underground casino in Empire City when he's not busy kidnapping." Xander showed up one night, and infiltrated a building that deposited money that leads to extortion, kidnapping and drugs. He knocked out the accountant, Byron Backman , a man who gets called by Empire City's worst when they want to launder money in the Caymans, and left him for the people he worked for. He brought his laptop to his hideout, seeking to turn it over to the IRS after he returned the money back to the rightful owners. His files were protected with an asymmetric encryption algorithm, however. It took Xander a while to break in, so instead he hacked Cayman Fidelity and put together a list of all the deposits Backman made the year before. The biggest deposit Backman made the year before was two million dollars on the date someone he knew was kidnapped. Xander suspected one of Backman's clients was paid two million dollars to kidnap her. Xander found out which client it was, and used them to find her. He back-traced the account, followed the money, and it lead him to whoever kidnapped his friend. It turned out to be Dominic Galletti, who runs the biggest underground casino in Empire City when he's not busy kidnapping. Xander suspected him of hiring someone to kidnap his friend, and Xander knew that his casino has its own private army, and he needed to access Dominic's computer, but without setting off any alarms. Duncan volunteered to go gambling, because he knew his way around a casino. The plan was for Duncan to get caught counting cards in the underground casino filled with hardened criminals so he can get a friendly warning from Dominic and plant a bug on his office computer, which will lead him to Xander's kidnapped friend. Duncan went in the casino, with Xander in an earpiece. Duncan counted the guards, and requested for one stack of high society. Duncan got blackjack, and was taken to meet Dominic, where he was banned and told to leave is chips. Dominic, however, found his earpiece, signaling Xander to sneak in and take out all the guards. Xander found Duncan at gunpoint in the manager's office, and fired an explosive arrow into the dart board, fooling Galletti into thinking he missed, when really, he detonated it to knock him away from Duncan. Xander questioned where his friend was, and he was told the location. Xander pulled up Dominic's phone records, and found that the place was a tenement complex in Brooklyn. He pulled up a satellite view on his computer, and saw a lot of security for low-income housing, with two guards stationed at all access points and one on the roof. Xander, using his parachute arrow, jumped onto the building and took out all the guards. He rescued his friend, and took her home. Taking on Sean Odorn On one of Xander's patrols, he caught a drug dealer. The same night, Sean Odorn blew up a building with a cleaning crew and a group of bankers working out a late night deal. Xander patched into police and fire, and showed up to rescue a man, after which he watched from above. The next morning, the news report said the bomber didn't steal any money, and Xander thought the guy just wanted to make a statement. Xander saw that the bomber's manifesto went online, containing 300 pages of anti-government hate. Xander thought he needed to find him before he found his next target, and started with the bomb, thinking since everyone's unique, he thought he could get some kind of signature on the guy, but the bomb residue was with the ECPD. Fortunately, Xander has an in with one of the officers at the department. He met the officer on the roof of a building, where Xander was given a sample of everything the CSU collected from the blast, including melted glass, multiple explosive fragments, and trace residue, and it looked like nitroglycerine, which meant that he was dealing with more than just a basement nutjob, someone with training. When the officer asked for a favor, another explosion went off downtown at the Empire Municipal Building. Xander checked the surrounding cell towers to find out there was a GSM spike of 3,800 megahertz two seconds before the blast, a frequency way outside the approved frequency for US Carriers. The signal was moving, leading Xander to find out he was mobile, and found an intersection. Xander chased the bomber on his motorcycle, but the tracking signal was scrambled, and the bomber escaped. Back home, Xander watched on television that the mayor was holding a unity rally at Rockefeller Plaza. Xander paid a visit to the mayor to wave him off, but it failed. The next morning, Xander analyzed the bomb remnants he got from the officer, and the design was identical the bombs used by an anti-government militia group. Lucky for Xander, they had a very active and hackable message board. Xander saw that one of their most prolific fans had an IP address in Empire City, which traced back to a computer in a local souvenir shop, who went by a username. Xander placed Duncan Grey at the unity rally. The night of the rally, Xander infiltrated the bomber's souvenir shop, where motorized sensors attached to motion detectors caught him still, and the bomber's voice appeared, stating that he packed explosives in the drywall of his store and if Xander moved, the store will go off. Xander thought the trigger would need to be hooked up to some sort of power supply, assuming that the detonator's connected to the store's electricity and not something independent like a car battery. Xander deduced that the building was built in the 70's, and found out the wiring in a lot of construction back then is defective, so if he were to sever one wire, it will blow fuses in the entire building, and shut off power to the bomb, which he did by shooting the fuse box. Xander left for the unity rally, where Duncan found the trigger for the RDX, which was in the sound equipment, which would be activated by cellular transmission, if Xander hadn't taken him down and his bombs. Ian Murphy's Cyber Financial Attack After a morning of training with Duncan Grey, Xander went on with his day when suddenly the electrical power in Empire City went out. He walked past a store of televisions when a mysterious figure explained that he would be bringing the city to its knees. After the transmission, the city's lights were switched back on. At his hideout, Xander used his hacking skills to find out that someone uploaded a system-wide virus, which deleted itself as soon as it completed its task. The figure soon made another broadcast, which Xander traced through breadcrumbs, but then learned that the Empire City Police Department dispatched a riot squad to Atlantic Standard Public Deposit Bank, so he and Duncan suited up and arrived on motorcycle. At the bank, they fired Tear-Gas Arrows into the unruly crowd gathering outside the bank doors, which dispersed them. Xander later learned that when a city bank goes under financial cyber attack, the mayor will reach out to the Treasury Department and request an influx of fresh cash, which is transported by armored trucks navigating according to a closed-end GPS system which directs them to City Deposit. If the drivers deviate from the route, the trucks are shut down. Ian hacked into the system and directed the cash to come to his base. Breaking into the treasury's asymmetric encryption was not even beyond his capabilities. The terminal was configured to only connect with the treasury's IP. When Xander followed the truck and arrived at Ian's base, Ian's motion-sensored guns aimed at him. Xander responded by firing a grappling hook arrow to swing around and take out the guns, while Duncan took out the rocket launchers aimed at the armored trucks transporting the cash. Outbreak Xander and Duncan were vaccinated from a virus created by Kai Yoshida, but still had to save Empire City. Xander determined the status of their arsenal, beginning with mobilizing the police and finding something that could neutralize an airborne contagion. Xander knew Kai wasn't using any of the ninja clan's ordinary redoubts in Empire City, and that he hasn't used the virus yet. Realizing that Kai is old school and every way Xander had of finding him was new school, Xander thought he needed to change the way he's looking for him. Xander recalled that trying to find a submarine that's gone dark he should look for what's out of the ordinary in the water, so he looked for what's unusual and maybe that would point them to how or where Kai plans to release the virus. Xander found that the entire top floor of the Big Apple Hotel was closed, and Kai doesn't frequent hotels. Xander learned that according to internal e-mails, the floor was shut down for Kai's most bitter enemy. Xander realized that's why Kai hasn't released the virus, because he wants to use it to take out his nemesis. Xander thought that they could trade Kai's nemesis for the virus. Xander made his way to the top of a building across the street from the hotel, counting two on the roof with one on the penthouse floor, while Duncan got two guarding the elevators, another three going in and out of the service entrance, a patrol in the stairwell, and same for the northwest corridor. They kept the clan from joining the party. As Xander got into position, Duncan took down the guards. Xander zip-lined into the hotel, warning who he assumed was Kai's nemesis about Kai planning a bio-weapon to take the former out. The man revealed himself as Kai's nemesis' assistant, stating that his employer left Empire the moment he learned of Kai's intention. The assistant's phone began to rang before he was shot down, and the phone answered as Kai, admitting it was a bold gambit hoping to leverage his nemesis, one which would have done Xander no good as Kai set in motion the death of Empire City 10 minutes ago. Kai also revealed the virus shall be disseminated by means of four vessels, four instruments of death, and Kai doubted that Xander and his friend would have time to stop all of them. Kai swore that Xander would see his city perish. Xander told Duncan that Kai's nemesis, was gone, and the man he found was a cut out. He also told Duncan that Kai planned to release the virus at four points across the city. Xander worked on a containment system that can safely neutralize the virus if he could get his hands on it, but he needed four of them and a way to spread the inoculation if that got out of control. Xander scrubbed through all the information he got on the virus. The virus gave off a low-level emission from its RNA, almost like radiation. Xander realized if he could hack the Keyhole Hexagon satellite, he could tune the quad band to search for it. Xander needed probable locations where Kai would release the virus, and when the satellite trace was back, Xander got four locations. Xander and Duncan got a runner carrying a metal briefcase, assuming the bio-weapon was in the briefcase. Xander was scrubbing footage from traffic and surveillance cameras at the remaining three locations. Duncan shot down the man with the briefcase, but it was empty. Xander realized the man was the weapon, and that Kai was using his own men to disperse the virus. Empire City appeared to be in the throes of a biological attack, wit an outbreak at Rockefeller Plaza. The virus spread when infected blood was exposed to open air. To stop them from spreading the virus, Xander and Duncan got civilians off the streets and into secure places. Xander and Duncan killed the rest, putting them in the Decommissioned CDC Facility. The virus was spreading, and Xander had to replicate the inoculant and disseminate it over a three-block radius. Xander made the nanotech from his nanite arrows airborne by uploading the operating code to the nanotech by rewriting on the fly, and if he couldn't get the nanotech to disperse the inoculant, thousands of people in Empire City would die. Xander was on site when a ninja greeted him, saying that Kai awaited him on a rooftop, as he wished to be in Xander's presence has his city died. Kai knew of Xander's deluded belief that he could defeat him in battle, and he knows that as long as he lives he will continue to threaten Xander's home. Xander made his way to the building to duel Kai Yoshida, and the police didn't know why they were fighting each other, but they were ordered to take them out as soon as they had a clean shot. Final Battle with Kai Yoshida Kai and his army of ninjas were waiting for Xander and Duncan as they arrived on the rooftop. As a standoff ensued, Kai told them that they belonged in graves. He then proceeded to attack the pair using his Kyoketsu-shoge. While Kai fought Xander single-handedly, his soldiers battled Duncan. Xander eventually disarmed Kai during the battle and Duncan rushed in to assist in the fight as the pair slowly beat the warrior in combat. As Xander told him that his army would lose this war and ordered him to leave Empire City alone, Kai rushed to his feet and attacked the pair once again, managing to subdue them both. Kai ordered his soldiers to kill Xander, however while Xander was still able to fight, he received assistance from Duncan who began shooting at the ninja soldiers with his bow, allowing the furious Xander to rush towards Kai. Fueled by rage, Xander beat Kai back with ease before using his grappling hook arrow to tie a wire around Kai's head before launching him off the rooftop as he fell several floors to the hard ground and died upon impact. Future In the future, the history books record Xander dying at the age of 86. Personality "Living this life, it takes more than a mask. It takes discipline." Agent Xander Mercury was hand-picked from Empire City by the Director of the Agency for his leadership abilities, strategic prowess, combat skills, and his tendency to do what he believes to be right even when that conflicts with his commanding officer's orders. Xander has a strong moral foundation and is not without his charm. He is a man of few words, but always cool under fire and ready for action. Xander is fiercely loyal, and would willingly give up his life for justice. Xander is a brave operative with a deadpan focus; dedicated to his job of protecting the innocent. He has shown himself willing to be a maverick, disobeying orders in order to do what he believes is right. For this very reason, people feel he grounds his teammates and inspires them to be better. Though commonly underestimated as one of the most under-powered viglantes, with his ability to blend in with his environment, his stoic professionalism, and ability to see and assess from afar, Xander is often valued by his superiors for his ability to keep an eye on people and assess situations. Xander has a high desire for justice and doing the right thing. Unable to allow injustice, he got frustrated when the police or judicial system failed to help. He decided to work as a vigilante to save people and help where the justice system could not. During this, he demonstrated extreme selflessness as he kept risking his life for others, even after he barely made it out of dangerous situations and ended up badly wounded multiple times. "The man who embraces the dark is never without sight." While fighting crime, he can be very brutal and heavily injures criminals in such manner as breaking their bones. He has hospitalized multiple criminals in this regard, with the first man he beat up having to eat through a straw for a month. However, he has avoided intentionally killing anyone so far and limits himself to hand to hand combat and arrows so as to not inflict lethal injuries, even if this results in himself getting injured during fights. He usually attempts to avoid killing anyone, however on occasion, when sufficiently infuriated or when the situation is dire, he has thrown away his concern for the well-being of his opponents. The harming or killing of innocent people makes him even more willing to kill. As a Catholic, Xander experiences a lot of guilt and soul-searching over his actions when he allows his anger and contempt for violent criminals to cause him to enjoy beating them bloody, and he frequently wonders whether he is doing the right thing in the eyes of God or whether he is allowing evil into his heart. Xander masks his personality, and he's very good at it. He is a very smart man who is looking to gain the upperhand in every situation. Abilities "Now, the problem you have is you think your unique skill is your only asset. By relying on your one skill or weapon, you become predictable to any wiser opponent. By using all your skills and being unpredictable, you're more likely to stand a fighting chance. You have to think of your skills for what they are: one tool in your toolbox." Xander was hand-picked from Empire City by the Director of the Agency for his leadership abilities, strategic prowess, combat skills, and his tendency to do what he believes to be right. A natural athlete, Xander is trained in firearms, explosives, throwing knives, and hand-to-hand combat, in addition to his skills with a bow. Xander has worked multiple times on tactical missions at various locations all around the globe. Xander's training serves him well, he can handle any weapon, or dispatch crooks with his bare hands. *'Bow Mastery:' Xander has trained himself to become a master archer specializing in the use of regular bows, longbows, compound bows, and crossbows with perfect accuracy. He is capable of firing multiple arrows at a single target in a few seconds, and directly hit small targets in the greatest of distances. He is ambidextrous, able to use bows with either hand in either place. Xander's feats as an archer include being able to precisely hit targets at great distances, shoot objects off of people without harming them, shoot even while he is in rapid movement, anticipate an enemy's projectile to block it with an arrow, and fire multiple arrows at once. Throughout his career as a vigilante, word began to spread that Xander never misses a shot. Xander is also able to combine his skills as a bowman with close combat, allowing him to shift between melee and archery with ease. Xander is also capable of using his bow as a melee weapon in close quarters combat. *'Master Marksman:' Xander possesses very keen eyesight, and his accuracy is virtually unerring. He is able to shoot down enemies without even looking at them, and hit at his target's weak points with extreme accuracy. He can also score a bullseye with three arrows simultaneously thrown without effort. Xander is also an excellent all-around marksman well versed in conventional firearms. Due to his training, Xander is a deadly shot. Hence, as the vigilante, Xander never misses his target, and easily avoids injuring innocent civilians, thus managing to swiftly take down criminals from an immense distance away. Xander's marksmanship skills have been commented as infallible aim, terrifying accuracy, and unforgiving precision. *'Master Assassin:' Xander is an excellent assassin, having been sent by the Agency to kill Leona Zolnerowich a woman notoriously known for her assassination skills, and is assigned to be a special agent in the Agency's investigations of the items of unknown origin, able to neutralize trespassers in case it was ordered. Xander is excellent in his combative skills, able to turn almost any object available to him into a killing weapon. *'Master Martial Artist:' Xander was rigorously trained in martial arts at a young age, and excelled in it. He continued training himself, becoming an exceptionally fit man who is extremely skilled in martial arts. Xander eventually used his skills to fight crime as the vigilante. Hence, Xander could take down the criminals of Hell's Kitchen with ease, defeating professional hitmen, highly skilled assassins, single-handedly take down eight Russian gangsters at once, and was even able to take down multiple cops while handcuffed. Though with some difficulty, Xander is also ultimately able to overpower men of immense brute strength, and even flip them through the air during fights. **'Sword Mastery:' Xander is highly proficient in swordsmanship. However, his near-sole dependence on his bow and arrow over the years dulled this skill. Xander has studied the teaching methods of David Abramovich Tyshler, widely regarded as the greatest fencing instructor in recent history. Xander uses an acrobatic combat style, he keeps his sword moving in a fluid motion, one into the next, into the next, and so on. **'Knife Mastery:' Xander is shown to be skilled with knives. He is able to kill a man with a single stab. Xander is also skilled in using knives in long-range combat, and can utilize his arrows as improvised knives in combat, by using them to stab enemies. *'Master Acrobat:' Xander incorporates gymnastics and acrobatics into his fighting style as he battles opponents, and could already do several agile flips as a child. He is skilled with parkour and free-running and able to quickly move over rooftops and climb buildings, managing to keep up with a car this way. Even when handcuffed, Xander can perform an agile back flip, bringing his hands back in front of his torso. *'Staff Mastery:' Xander is highly skilled in the use of staves and similar melee weapons. Xander is capable of skillfully wielding a baton in combat, and using his bow as a melee weapon in the manner of an improvised staff. His bow is also capable of transforming into an actual bo staff, which he shows great skill in wielding against his enemies. "I'll end this right here. All I need is one arrow and the laws of physics. You wanna argue with physics, Einstein?" *'Genius-Level Intellect:' Xander has become a very well known agent in the Agency tech community for his technological expertise. His brilliant intellect extends itself to his nearly unparalleled tactical, deceptive, detective, criminology, scientific, engineering, and archery skills. In his adolescence, he was very articulate with a keen and creative intellect. **'Master Tactician:' Xander is an accomplished strategist. He is able to formulate battle strategies and his brilliant tactical sense allows him to alter any strategy to fit the changing need of the situation. Xander, given his lack of superpowers, often uses cunning and planning to successfully outwit stronger and more powerful foes, rather than simply out-fighting them, often using any of their exploitable weaknesses to his advantage. **'Master Engineer:' Xander has designed and created many of the equipment commonly used by Agency agents. He has also created many of the tools used for analysis and scientific work. The sensitive nature of many missions has made him to develop devices against the clock that needed to be adapted to the parameters of each mission. Additionally is able to forge and craft his own custom made arrows and attach them with a variety of devices such as explosives. **'Master Scientist:' Xander's expertise in the field of biochemistry has allowed him to work in the research and development of many breakthrough discoveries. He is highly gifted and knowledgeable in many fields of science practiced such as biology, biochemistry, anatomy and physics. **'Master Physician:' Xander, if not an Agency doctor, was often charged with evaluating and treating any injuries sustained by his teammates and colleagues, being skilled enough to apply advanced first aid to people when they are shot, and to perform an autopsy on a corpse. He has extensive knowledge of human, animal and alien physiology, anatomy and DNA when needed even beating out scientists, physicians and terroristic agencies ahead of time. **'Master Spy:' Xander is a proficient agent trained in espionage, stealth, disguise and infiltration. He has spent years on some missions as an undercover agent. In addition he can utilize various corners and objects to evade his enemies. **'Master Investigator:' Xander is a highly skilled detective, capable of observation, forensic investigation, and psychological assessments, as well as both inductive and deductive reasoning of the highest caliber. Xander also effectively utilizes his detective skills, and he has a zeal for crime solving. He is able to perform gunshot residue swabs, testing for lead, barium, and antimony. **'Master Interrogator:' During his time with the Agency, Xander became an effective interrogator and torturer. He is capable of inflicting much physical pain into a target without killing them and is even capable of using mind games to worsen the discomfort. As the vigilante, Xander commands an intimidating presence to where most criminals fear him and give up information willingly. **'Explosives Mastery:' Xander has extensive experience with explosives. He knows how to install landmines safely, and he also has access to C-4. **'Master Pilot:' Xander is able to man multiple vehicles such as cars and motorcycles, he is even able to shoot targets while driving these vehicles. Xander has improved off-road handling and causes more collision damage to eney vehicles. **'Multilingualism:' Xander is fluent in 5 languages, including English, French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. Xander used this skill in missions, most times as an undercover agent. Xander is also skilled in steganography, the art of concealing a message within another message. Weaknesses "We all have things that scare us. What scares me most is not being able to keep the people I love safe. Sure, you can't be there all the time for the people you care about, but when you have a chance to help, you have a responsibility to do whatever it takes to ensure their safety, to get them home." *'Human Vulnerabilities:' Xander's greatest weakness is that he is a human with no enhanced strength, speed, durability, or superhuman powers, therefore making him quite vulnerable to the physical attacks of stronger and more powerful opponents. Xander, however, usually compensates for this quite well with his highly durable fire and bulletproof suits, tremendous combat skills, his self-achieved nigh-superhuman physical condition, highly sophisticated technological gadgets and arrows, and brilliant tactical intellect. Equipment Attire *'Vigilante Suit:' Made of a polymer blend with ten layers of treated composite materials, this sleek suit serves functions both tactical and diagnostic, monitoring vitals and providing state-of-the-art ballistic protection for Xander. Xander coated his suit with polyethylene, glycol, and silicate to form hydro-clusters when impacted by kinetic energy. *'Quiver:' Xander's quiver is supplied with a multitude of different arrowheads in the bottom. By dialing up an armament setting from a control on his bow, Xander can cause the quiver to affix these special arrowheads. This effectively increases the capabilities from conventional arrows, to explosive arrows, a grapple line, and more. *'Mask:' Xander's identity concealer is a mask made of a compressible micro-fabric that conforms perfectly to his face and does not affect his ability to aim while he is on the run. *'Comm Receiver:' The brand new encoded model of the comm receiver, with a repurposed IDIS chip, and has no external receiver for the inner ear comms, but instead embedded sensorineural silicone matched to his DNA. Weaponry and Gadgets "I would wager on my bow against your rifle any day." *'Recurve Bow:' Xander is seen with a recurve bow. It is a heavily customized Hoyt Gamemaster II in blackout colors, and is capable of folding on itself for easier transport and concealment by way of added hinges located by the tiller adjustment bolts. It also has multiple buttons on the bow's grip which are capable of selecting specific arrowheads stored in his mechanical quiver. A laser sight to assist in targeting can also be found on the riser. The bow has a capability to transform into a bo staff which can be used for up close combat. *'Arrows:' Xander has standard arrows made to easily penetrate and injure an enemy while also being difficult to directly remove from a wound. Like any standard arrow, this arrow type is suitable for stealth operations because it makes minimal noise and is less conspicuous than Xander's other, more specialized arrows. *'Trick Arrows:' Xander's weapon of choice, the collapsible recurve bow, comes equipped with an arsenal of custom designed arrows. These arrows range from smoke screens to EMP detonators to grappling hooks to thermal incendiary and so on. *'Speed Loader:' Xander uses a speed loader arrow cartridge capable of holding nine collapsible arrows. *'Flechette:' Xander fires a dart from his sidearm, rendering an enemy unconscious (though any damage will rouse them). *'Nightwing Blade:' Xander had saved himself more than once with his trusted Nightwing blade. *'Beretta Px4:' Xander's sidearm is a compact, semi-automatic pistol. Lightweight, versatile, an all-around efficient pistol designed for law enforcement and personal defense use. Xander chose this as his sidearm due to its futuristic appearance. "Say you need to tag a fleeing vehicle."-Xander Mercury *'Tag Rounds:' Rounds built with a micro-receiver, which enables him to track his target via satellite. *'FN Five-Seven MK2:' Xander carries an FN Five-Seven MK2 5.7 millimeter with 20 rounds as one of his hidden weapons. *'Garrote:' Xander carries a polyfiber garrote with metal handles as one of his hidden weapons. *'Wenoka Squeeze Lock Knife:' Xander carries a 7.6 centimeter blade knife as one of his hidden weapons. *'Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380:' Xander carries a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380 9 millimeter with 6 rounds as one of his hidden weapons. Former *'SR-25:' Xander's signature weapon used during his time at the Agency was a modular, highly customizable semi-automatic sniper rifle with strong recoil but good stopping power and penetration, effective from long to medium range. This came with a suppressor, which dampened the weapon's sound at the cost of weapon damage, and a mountable laser sight that increases hip fire accuracy. Xander had a penlight fixed to the end of his silenced rifle. Transportation *'Motorcycle:' Xander's bike uses a kinetic energy recovery system, it stores the energy he uses braking to accelerate later on. Relationships Family *Will Mercury - Father *Mother Allies *Duncan Grey - Ward, Partner, Friend *Peter Marshall - Friend, Rival Enemies *Ian Murphy - Archenemy *Leona Zolnerowich - Attempted Assassin *Empire City Triads Trivia *Xander's signature color is red. *Xander is ambidextrous. *Xander's phone number is 1-(212)-256-1084. *Xander knows how to ricochet his arrows. *Xander's favorite spot in Empire City is the top of the Chrysler Building. *Xander jumps off buildings during patrol without mapping out how and where he lands. *Xander enjoys playing the Call of Duty franchise of video games. *During his teens, Xander was a fan of Nirvana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day. *Xander is known to golf with a 3 handicap. *Xander does not like the term Plan B, as it implies some inferiority in the strategy. He prefers to call it his contingency plan. *Xander's banking group is UDBG (Union Destiny). *Xander thinks of guns as weapons of emotion and unpredictability. *Xander has more developed visual cortex and manual ability. Mercury, Xander Mercury, Xander Mercury, Xander Mercury, Xander Mercury, Xander